The Philadelphia Eagles may have just reshaped the entire identity of their offense in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Philadelphia made one of the boldest moves on the board, trading up to land wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 20 pick before doubling down in Round 2 with tight end Eli Stowers.
With A.J. Brown reportedly on his way out, the new duo gives quarterback Jalen Hurts two fresh weapons alongside an aging core featuring DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Saquon Barkley.
But on Monday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky made it clear that these additions don’t just raise the Eagles’ ceiling, they also put immediate pressure on Hurts to evolve within a new offensive structure.
“It’s the dawn of a new era offensively in Philadelphia,” Orlovsky said. “Jalen Hurts will have no choice but to throw the ball over the middle of the field and get comfortable doing it … If we look at Jalen Hurts over the past couple of years, he throws the ball over the middle of the field the least. 38% of his passes go there. The next closest is Bryce Young, and he’s 6% higher.”
Orlovsky also pointed to the hiring of offensive coordinator Sean Mannion as a key part of the equation.
“I do find it very interesting that Philadelphia hires an offensive coordinator who, at his core, emphasizes the exact things the quarterback doesn’t do or doesn’t do well. And their first two selections are guys who live in the area of the field he just doesn’t target.”
“It’s a new era, and I think his hand is going to be forced to get comfortable with it.”
Hurts has consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in throws over the middle of the field, hovering around 38% of his attempts, according to ESPN’s analytics, the least among qualified NFL quarterbacks over the last two seasons.
That’s a serious structural limitation in today’s NFL, where elite offenses feast between the numbers with layered concepts, option routes, and tight end mismatches.
Add in Lemon and Stowers, two players who thrive in that area of the field, and that’s where the pressure starts to mount.
Hurts has historically leaned toward outside-the-numbers throws, deep shots, and play extension rather than rhythm passing.
The hiring of new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, along with these draft picks, seemingly aims to disrupt that.
In other words, the Eagles didn’t just draft Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers to complement Jalen Hurts; they drafted these players to challenge him.
This is no longer about what Hurts does well. It’s about what he hasn’t done, and whether he can fix it fast enough to keep pace with a team clearly evolving around him.